For wine lovers (aka me), fewer places are more special than the Napa Valley. What I love most about this magical little corner of the world is how different each trip can feel simply due to how much there is to SEE (okay, and taste): In my three times here, I’ve never been to the same winery twice, and I’ve made only one repeat visit to a restaurant.
My most recent venture out West was particularly cool because I also spent a day in Sonoma, a nearby wine region I had never visited. If you have time, I recommend you do as well. While you might be concerned about wildfires (the area was ravaged by flames in October), winemakers in Napa and Sonoma agree that visiting the area post-fire helps to boost tourism that’s otherwise lost. So, if either are on your list, why not book a trip out there stat? Here, everything to pack into a short, sweet two-and-a-half day trip to wine country:
But first, what to bring to wine country…
You’ll find plenty of luxe hotels in downtown Napa, but my advice? Take a room at the Napa River Inn, part of the Historic Napa Mill shopping and dining complex on the Napa River. Yes, yes, the rooms are spacious, the staff is super friendly, etc. etc. But take advantage of the daily wine tastings, morning pastry deliveries to your room(!), and the sweetest lil balcony with views of the river. I was definitely not mad waking up to this:
Christina Amoroso
You’ve prob seen Cakebread at your local wine shop, and this place, which just opened a sparkly new visitors’ center, is about as Napa as Napa gets. You’ve got a few tasting options here, but spring for the food and wine pairing—you’ll sip four varietals alongside four small plates, many of which are made using ingredients from Cakebread’s on-site garden (the pasta and Pinot noir duo was my fave). Take some time to snap a few photos among the greenery—on my visit I was lucky to peep sunflowers, tomatoes, squash, and too many herbs to count.
Christina Amoroso
A true Napa O.G., Freemark Abbey’s been around for 130 years(!), and Josephine Tychson, who built and ran the property’s original cellar way back when, also happened to be Napa’s first female winemaker. If you’re feeling fancy, shell out a little extra cash for the Library Tasting, held in the downstairs Library Room, where you’ll sample a variety of Cabernet Sauvignons—Napa’s known for these—and compare the rare, older vintages (some dating back to 1999) with more current releases. Before or after, grab a bite at Roadhouse 29, a barbecue-focused restaurant on site.
Everyone will tell you it’s best not to cram too many tastings into one day because your palate will get “tired” (basically a fancy way of saying you’ll have a hard time identifying each wine’s distinct tasting notes). Two stops, three max, is ideal. I capped my first afternoon sitting among the olive trees at Rutherford Ranch. I was partial to the rosé, but I loved the sauvy b too.
Christina Amoroso
I took a brief rest at the hotel, then headed out for a pre-dinner drink. The downtown area’s undergone a revitalization over the last few years, and it’s got tons of new bars, restaurants, and cute tasting rooms—like Outland, a minimalist space featuring wines from three local producers. You’ll find all sorts of grapes on the menu, from the familiar (Chardonnay, Pinot noir) to the lesser-known (Trousseau noir, Mataro) and even a couple of citrusy vermouths, so go wild and experiment. If you’re feeling more of a bar vibe, pop by Cadet, a buzzy wine and beer spot next door that’s popular with local winemakers (that’s how you know it’s legit).
Pretty much all the restaurants in Napa are stellar, but if you’re looking for a few standouts, get yourself to one of these:
Compline. A wine bar/restaurant/retail space with seasonally-rotating menu. Order the burger and a side of the duck fat fries to share (or not to share).
Oenotri. Southern Italian food that includes 20(!) types of salumi made in-house, along with pizzas and pastas. Many of the dishes are made with ingredients from a farm the owners maintain a few miles away.
Torc. You definitely need a reservation for this spot, which serves contemporary American food. But if you’re by yourself (like I was), you might have luck snagging a seat at the bar. I ordered the beef filet and short rib duo and paired it with a silky cabernet.
If you have time, drive on over to the Sonoma wine region—you might find it’s a little more low-key, a little more spread out than the wineries dotting Route 29 and the Silverado Trail, the two main drags that run through the Napa Valley. Start your day with a picnic at Balletto Vineyards, a family-run winery in the truest sense: On my visit during peak harvest season, founder John Balletto had been out since 2 a.m. overseeing the grape-picking and weighing of the fruit. Since Sonoma’s closer to the Pacific Ocean than Napa, you’ll find a lot of Pinot noir and Chardonnay, which thrive in cooler climates.
Before you head on to your next tasting, stop at The Barlow, an outdoor market in downtown Sebastopol with a sandwich shop, taqueria, ice-cream parlor, and a few breweries (like many other wine-growing regions, the craft beer movement is exploding in Northern California). I had the best BLT of my life at The Farmer’s Wife and, for dessert, a scoop of chocolate ice cream from Two Dog Night Creamery next door.
Landmark Vineyards specializes in both of these grapes, sourcing its fruit from around California including Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Barbara. I visited the Russian River Valley tasting room, but you can also check out the one in Kenwood just off Sonoma Highway. BYO picnic at either spot, or buy a basket that includes everything you need to live your best wine-tasting life.